Angels Take Walk and Take Win, 8-7

In a booth behind Orlando Palmeiro, Angel president Tony Tavares leaned forward, his chin nearly resting on the ledge in front of him.

In the booth beside Tavares’, Angel General Manager Bill Stoneman stood and paced, paced and stood, until Antonio Osuna missed plate umpire Chris Guccione’s strike zone for the final time.

When it was over, when the Angels had secured an 8-7 victory against the Dodgers late Sunday afternoon, and when Edison Field belonged wholly to the Angels again, Tavares nodded and Stoneman grinned.

“It’s encouraging,” first baseman Mo Vaughn said. “The Angels, we’ve got to make our name. We’re trying to establish our niche. L.A., they’ve got their tradition. We continue to play ball, we’ll establish that.”

Before a crowd of 40,489 that was pro-Dodger until the end, Palmeiro drew a two-out, bases-loaded, four-pitch walk from Osuna in the ninth inning. Kevin Stocker, who had walked on a 3-and-2 pitch that appeared to at least graze the strike zone, scored the game-winning run, trotting into the arms of his new teammates.

Osuna (0-2) walked three and hit another batter in the ninth inning. As Stocker crossed the plate, Osuna stood crossly with his hands on his hips.

The Angels won the interleague series, two games to one. They won the way they usually win, by bashing their way around a poor starting effort, this time by Jarrod Washburn. He put them in holes of 4-0 in the first inning and 7-3 in the sixth.

“I had problems early,” said Washburn, who gave up a three-run home run to Eric Karros in the first and solo home run to Chad Kreuter in the sixth. “No particular reason. But, I know these guys and I knew they’d come back.”

The Dodgers lost the way they usually lose, because of a bullpen that gradually gave away a late-inning lead. Starter Carlos Perez, himself something less than stellar, asked only that the Dodgers hold a two-run lead over the final three innings.

While Mike Fyhrie and Troy Percival (3-2) combined for 3 2/3 scoreless relief innings for the Angels, Dodger relievers Matt Herges and Osuna allowed three runs in 2 2/3 innings.

The Angels scored twice in the eighth to tie the score, 7-7, on a single by Bengie Molina and a fielder’s choice by Adam Kennedy. Both runs were charged to Herges, as he allowed singles to three of the inning’s first four batters.

Percival pitched a scoreless ninth inning, finally getting Gary Sheffield to ground into a double play with Shawn Green at first.

That led to the patient ninth for the Angels. Stocker led off with the walk. With one out, Tim Salmon, who homered in the third, was hit by a pitch. Garret Anderson grounded out, but Troy Glaus walked to load the bases. That brought up Palmeiro, who had entered in the eighth inning as a pinch-runner for Molina.

Four pitches later, with the crowd standing, the general manager standing, the team president leaning and Guccione--in the Dodgers’ opinion--squeezing, it was done.

So, the Angels celebrated in a mid-season sort of way, the clubhouse music loud, the Lakers on the television, and the expressions fairly matter-of-fact. Many of them dashed off to see the basketball game in a place more comfortable, warmed by another gritty effort.

“Once I get to 2-and-0, I gotta take,” Palmeiro said. “After the first two balls, the pressure’s on him.”

Osuna wasn’t all that close on the last two.

“It’s big,” Palmeiro said. “We’ve always been in their shadow. To beat a team like that, people might respect us more. It’s great to beat them, but now we gotta win a pennant. That’s how you get the real respect.”

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said he took no particular pleasure in beating the Dodgers, the organization of his prime, except in the way the Angels did it. Again. Molina, a working-class catcher in Scioscia’s mold, had two more clutch singles. The Angels saw a ton of pitches. They drew eight walks. They hit until they were told to stop, until the crowd went home, until Davey Johnson stopped screaming at Guccione, until Stoneman stopped pacing.

And they only hoped the pitching could keep up.

“The fact this team does it,” Scioscia said, “encourages us all.”

The formula has kept them a half-game out of first in the American League West, which everyone knows is far less wild than it is mild. They are holding on, hoping starters Tim Belcher, Ken Hill and Jason Dickson get healthy and then are effective. In the meantime, they’ll be happy winning two of three against the Dodgers, big brothers from the north. The Dodgers have lost seven of 11.

“Our focus,” Scioscia said, “is one where we’re going. Not on where they’re going.”

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Karros’ Hot Start

Eric Karros is off to one of the best starts of his career. A look at his numbers through 53 games, compared to his numbers through 53 games the last four seasons:

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Year Avg HR RBIs 2000 .279 16 51 1999 .267 7 25 1998 .271 1 12 1997 .248 8 23 1996 .223 8 26

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